Ahead of their speeches at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference, two brothers of Israeli hostages urged United States leaders on Friday to turn recent military gains in Iran into diplomatic action to bring their loved ones home.

Iair Horn, who survived 498 days in Hamas captivity, is now fighting to free his brother Eitan, who remains in Gaza. Simultaneously, Ilay David has spent every day since Oct. 7, 2023, campaigning to bring home his younger brother Evyatar, kidnapped from the Nova music festival. 

Recommended Stories

• Trump says he saved Khamenei from 'very ugly' death, slams Iranian victory celebration
• Bannon demands Fox News probe over alleged ‘foreign’ ties amid anger over pro-Israel coverage
• WATCH LIVE: Congo and Rwanda sign Trump-brokered peace deal at White House

Horn, 46, an Israeli immigrant from Argentina, was taken alongside Eitan during the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz and was released in February as part of a ceasefire deal. However, his brother is still held hostage.

“I try to keep on living, but it’s impossible. I feel guilty about everything I do. When I eat something, when I drink a coffee, I feel guilty because I know that my brother and another 49 hostages still remain in Gaza,” Horn told the Washington Examiner. 

Despite the trauma of nearly 500 days underground, Horn said “humor, family, and faith” kept him going. “Because if you lost your faith, you have nothing,” he said. “If I lost my humor, I have nothing.”

Horn, who was held with his brother Eitan for most of their time in Hamas captivity, said he still senses a connection. 

“We’re hoping he’s still alive. And we feel, I feel, he’s still alive. You know, the special bond between brothers.” 

He also observed a shift in conditions for some hostages after the U.S. election, saying, “Some of them get a little more food… the treatment was different… because when President [Donald] Trump [got] elected, everybody knew that something can happen, can change.”

For the families still waiting, the trauma continues. Ilay David has endured the kind of nightmare most people can’t imagine. His younger brother, Evyatar, a musician with plans to travel through Asia and study music production, was abducted from the Nova music festival by Hamas and remains in captivity in Gaza. Evyatar, now 24, has spent two birthdays in captivity.

“He’s my younger brother, and I really manifest that every time I think about him. I really manifest him returning and we play music again,” David said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. 

David continued, “My brother is not just a poster. It’s not just a name. He suffers for more than 600 days in Hamas captivity. And he has dreams and family that waits for him, friends, community and like him, all the 50 hostages are the same.”

In February, the David family received their first glimpse of Evyatar in a Hamas propaganda video. Holding up a photo frozen from the footage, Ilay described how his brother and best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, appeared gaunt and exhausted as they were paraded by Hamas, forced to watch other hostages walk free before pleading for their own lives on camera.

“They sent them back into the tunnels, as far as you know, to the same place. And that’s only a part of how they treat them. It’s only a small thing, a small torture that they do there every day,” David explained. “It’s hell on earth, and they survive, and they are decaying. They run out of time, and we must do everything it takes to bring them back.”

Horn and David will address the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference this weekend, speaking directly to an evangelical audience deeply supportive of Israel and aligned mainly with President Donald Trump’s approach to the Middle East. Their appearances come as Trump allies tout recent U.S.-Israeli military actions in Iran and call for those gains to translate into a broader ceasefire deal that brings the remaining hostages home. 

“I know that the people that come here, they are great believers, and right now, the only thing that really keeps us going is faith,” David said. “We need people to pray with us, but also act.”

David said the moment is ripe for action, urging leaders to seize the momentum: “After Israel and the states got their victories in Iran, now it’s time to draw a path to bring back the hostages, to secure a tremendous deal, President Trump’s deal to bring back all the hostages back. That’s why we’re here.”

Trump said Friday that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas may be imminent, telling reporters he believes a deal could come together “within the next week.”

While the Trump administration has been pushing for a temporary pause in the conflict for several weeks, negotiations have yet to yield an agreement. Neither Israel nor Hamas has publicly signaled whether a breakthrough is near.

The war in Gaza has sharpened divisions within the Democratic Party, turning Israel into a polarizing subject amid a surge in antisemitism across the United States. David fears the push to bring the hostages home can sometimes get lost in the political noise, a concern shared by Horn. Both men stress that their mission is not about politics, but humanity.

“It gets lost in the noise of the news cycle, because so many things happen all the time,” David said. “But those people [have spent] more than 20 months dealing with the same trauma, [us] and them and the people of Israel on the same trauma for more than 20 months, so we have to keep pushing.”

“I think it’s not connected to any political issue at all,” he added. “It’s only human lives that we’re talking about right now, and they should be released immediately, unconditioned.”

Horn agreed: “It’s very simple. I’m not a political man, I’m not a diplomat. I’m just a simple man fighting to bring back his brother and all the hostages.”

WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO LIMIT TRUMP’S MILITARY AUTHORITY FAILS ON SENATE FLOOR

At the conference’s main session Friday afternoon, an attendee recognized Horn and paused to offer words of support and a prayer for his brother’s release. The quiet moment reflected the emotional weight Horn carries as he navigates life after captivity while his brother remains in Gaza.

“Right now my family is destroyed, but maybe, maybe if he comes back, we [will] have a little bit of joy in our lives back,” he said. “I just want to ask the people, keep on praying, keep on supporting … I am just one man. I need to amplify my voice.”